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The Science of Stress: Living Under Pressure
Our jobs and families; the deluge of e-mails, texts, and calls; the constant pinch on our time and money; the screaming match of politics and the threat of terrorism and war—there is no doubt about it, we are completely stressed out. Most of the time, we just shrug it off, but as neuropsychiatrists Gregory L. Fricchione, Ana Ivkovic, and Albert Yeung gently remind us in this stress can be really, really bad for our health. In fact, persistent stress is directly linked to chronic ailments like heart disease, diabetes, and depression, contributing to one of the biggest health challenges facing the world in the twenty-first century. Expertly but sensitively guiding readers through the latest research in the science of stress, they offer an illuminating and therapeutic look at our own worst enemy.
As Fricchione and his colleagues show, alleviating stress is a task that no one physician can alleviate for us on his own. It is not the sort of problem that a surgeon can excise with a scalpel or an internist can eradicate with antibiotics. It requires everyone’s efforts—the healthy, the sick, doctors, nurses, psychologists, clergy, community leaders, and everyone else—to pull together to address the stress-induced drivers in our community that undermine our health. Clearly and accessibly exploring the latest in modern neuroscience and immunology, the authors examine what those drivers are and how they reduce the body’s metabolic reserve, making us more vulnerable to illness. They then look at the enhanced resilience, something we can achieve by smartly adjusting how we face the significant adversities that can spring up in so many facets of our lives.
Offering innumerable insights on the personal and social causes of stress and the physiological effects they have, this book serves as an essential guide to show us how to alleviate stress and properly take care of ourselves. In doing so, it offers a crucial first step toward meeting the biggest health challenge of this century.
As Fricchione and his colleagues show, alleviating stress is a task that no one physician can alleviate for us on his own. It is not the sort of problem that a surgeon can excise with a scalpel or an internist can eradicate with antibiotics. It requires everyone’s efforts—the healthy, the sick, doctors, nurses, psychologists, clergy, community leaders, and everyone else—to pull together to address the stress-induced drivers in our community that undermine our health. Clearly and accessibly exploring the latest in modern neuroscience and immunology, the authors examine what those drivers are and how they reduce the body’s metabolic reserve, making us more vulnerable to illness. They then look at the enhanced resilience, something we can achieve by smartly adjusting how we face the significant adversities that can spring up in so many facets of our lives.
Offering innumerable insights on the personal and social causes of stress and the physiological effects they have, this book serves as an essential guide to show us how to alleviate stress and properly take care of ourselves. In doing so, it offers a crucial first step toward meeting the biggest health challenge of this century.
- GenresNonfictionScience
176 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 19, 2019
This is a deeply scientific, yet incredibly accessible text. I was looking for specific information on stress and headaches or migraines and there was very little information on this topic, but overall a worthwhile read.
March 3, 2017
This offers a very thorough analysis of the role of stress on the brain and body. The chapters are short and you can tell the authors attempted to use layman's language, but it is quite medical in nature. Fortunately, it has a great glossary.
It breaks down how stress affects us physically: the heart, brain, sleep, and myriad other bodily functions. It assesses causes of stress such as marriage, loss, unemployment, retirement, etc. It especially analyzes the role of the brain and how it affects literally everything , both mental and physical.
Takeaways? The authors are clearly recommending a Mediterranean diet and a hefty dose of meditation. As you might expect, 30 minutes of daily exercise, a regular sleep regimen, and resolving difficult life issues are all called for. So in a way this does not offer anything overly insightful or helpful, except that it beautifully clarifies just how stress manifests in the human body. This is helpful to ordinary people, but would be particularly insightful for medical professionals.
It breaks down how stress affects us physically: the heart, brain, sleep, and myriad other bodily functions. It assesses causes of stress such as marriage, loss, unemployment, retirement, etc. It especially analyzes the role of the brain and how it affects literally everything , both mental and physical.
Takeaways? The authors are clearly recommending a Mediterranean diet and a hefty dose of meditation. As you might expect, 30 minutes of daily exercise, a regular sleep regimen, and resolving difficult life issues are all called for. So in a way this does not offer anything overly insightful or helpful, except that it beautifully clarifies just how stress manifests in the human body. This is helpful to ordinary people, but would be particularly insightful for medical professionals.
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October 7, 2020The book is about how stress messes up with our body and mind. Each chapter discusses how stress negatively influence a certain part of our body, such as the brain, or a function of its, for example, digestion. Helpful tips on how to get de-stressed are also provided, but not the main part of the book.
The book was well written and effectively illustrated, but could benefit from reducing jargons, given it was written for general educated audiences, not experts.
The book was well written and effectively illustrated, but could benefit from reducing jargons, given it was written for general educated audiences, not experts.
December 4, 2022
Great book
I wish I read this book during nursing school. This book should be read during nursing and medical school. Thanks.
I wish I read this book during nursing school. This book should be read during nursing and medical school. Thanks.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews